What is Inbound Recruiting?

The concept of Inbound Recruiting is driven by the fact that 73% of candidates begin their job search with a Google search. Organizations looking to attract and retain top talent are reacting to this digital landscape transformation in the same way as Marketers. Human resources and recruiting functions have increasingly become the “marketers” of their organization as a workplace, and Inbound Recruiting is a reflection of that.

Inbound Recruiting is a way to differentiate yourself from other organizations and add value to the digital candidate experience before they even begin their job search. It’s a way to position yourself as such a great place to work that top talent comes to you.

Here are the three keys to inbound recruiting:

1. Employer Branding

Employer branding is your reputation, in a nutshell. Having a strong employer brand can add great value to your recruiting practices. Whether you are currently building your employer brand or working on maintaining your employer brand, it’s important to be clear on what you stand for as an organization.

When you have a positive employer brand in the circles you are trying to recruit from, it becomes an easy decision for the candidate to come to you.

However, when you lack an employer brand or have a negative employer reputation in the circles you are trying to recruit from, recruiting top talent can take much more effort, time, and money.

“As job seekers move through their process, it is likely they will explore your company’s presence on social media. It is important that your online presence is managed to maintain consistency, including sites like Twitter and LinkedIn,” notes Lisa Codispoti, ERC’s Director, Consulting.

If an organization and its employees are posting things that are not congruent with the overall employer branding message, it becomes very obvious to the job seekers searching for information on the organization. 

2. Culture Fit

Position your culture as a differentiator and a selling-point in your recruiting process. A “great culture” can be defined differently depending on whom you are talking to.

Therefore it is important to be transparent with potential candidates about what they can expect from your organization.

The ideal candidate may check off all the boxes, but if they aren’t the right fit for your organization, you can expect to have turnover. By sharing and pushing your culture out into the digital space, you are working on attracting more of the “right” candidates.

3. Share Your Story

The most valuable assets to your organization’s employer branding, culture, and inbound recruiting process are employees. Employees truly make up an organizations story. Encourage your employees to share all of the “little things” that make your workplace a great place to be. You have the opportunity to share your story, your culture, and your employer brand in virtually everything that you do; take advantage of it.

Use your website as a place to display your culture. Create a video that can be shared on social media. Feature employee testimonials on your careers page.

If you are a great place to work, use the digital world you have at your fingertips to scream it from the rooftop. You never know if your next top performing hire is watching.